I want to acknowledge it’s been another challenging week for the CKW Directorate and I hope everyone is taking care to look after their wellbeing and to support their colleagues. All the usual support mechanisms are in place if you need some extra support.

International Women’s Day

Did you know that 69 per cent of leadership positions in the CKW Directorate are held by women?

And that 83 per cent of our total workforce are women?

This year’s International Women’s Day, which was held on Tuesday (8/3), was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the important roles that women have in the workplace and how we can create a positive environment where everyone can succeed and maximise their own individual potential.

I hope everyone found ways to celebrate this important day and the achievements and acts of courage shown by women around the world but also in our own networks. There are so many of you amongst our staffing group that I know, given a cape and tiara, you could take on the world!

Realignment

We are in the process of implementing the realignment of our Directorate’s organisational structure. I’ve asked that the final approved version of the organisational structure will be made available to staff as soon as possible.

While working through the design of our realignment, we faced several complications in the health service, which made the process even more challenging. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge how those staff affected by the realignment, as well as others more broadly, have continued to put our patients first and provided ongoing care throughout.  Thank you!

Organisational realignments require us to action various things to achieve complete implementation.  The establishment, finance and governance changes in this instance are well underway.  Some role descriptions will need to be reviewed and updated to reflect the organisational changes, and current staff and service accommodation also needs to be considered, to ensure logical, productive and efficient flow.

Riskman changes are also being finalised and changes to systems such as myHR and s4HANA are in progress, too.

I want to thank you again for your commitment, valuable contributions and your patience as we worked together to redesign our organisational structure to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the community we serve. If you have any questions in relation to the changes and how you or your service are impacted, then please raise this with your team leader in the first instance.

Health Equity website now live

Want to know more about Metro North’s Health Equity Plans? The Metro North Health Equity Strategy, to be finalised in April 2022, describes our commitment to drive health equity and eliminate institutional racism for both our staff and patients across the public health system.

Our goal is to ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing our health services will receive high-quality person-centered care that is culturally responsive, empowers self-care and choice, and is designed to improve health and wellbeing.

Visit the website for further details on the timeline, priority areas and frequently asked questions. You can also provide feedback and recommendations via the new Yarning Hub.

Heath Equity training is mandatory for CKW professional leads and line managers but available to all staff. There are five workshops representing the five domains under the strategy.

In local news, the CKW Directorate will soon recruit a Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services. This is a senior role that will set the strategic direction and lead an expanded team for this Directorate. I will let you know when it is advertised on Smart Jobs. 

Smoking Cessation Workshop

This brief intervention course for all Metro North clinicians provides the tools and tips to help your patients quit smoking. It will be held on Thursday 28 April from 11.30am to 4pm.

For more information or to register for this free workshop, click here

For more details, email Smokingcessationtaskforce.admin@health.qld.gov.au or phone 3139 4042.

What a compliment!

About 75 per cent of the feedback we receive from patients through PREMS is positive and complimentary. Here’s a great one from Ward 2A that came through earlier this week:

“I always felt I was listened to when I spoke to all doctors and nursing staff.”

Finally,

The word ‘unprecedented’ seems to pop up in many conversations I am having lately – pandemic / floods / weather / demand. I know it’s hard to keep up the energy to face these continued events.

Thank you for all the work you have all done this week in dealing with the community demand. It’s been a big one and teams have pulled together in the best interests of our patients.

We are working with Metro North Health, our Metro North Health Clinical Streams and our local teams to see what can be done in preparation for the winter months. I will keep everyone updated.

Thank you all again for all that you do.

Take Care,

Angie Dobbrick
Executive Director